Coroner: A Detective Conan Fanfiction

Ishikawa's expression stiffened once again.

Lin Xinyi's sharp deductions had already given him an unsettling feeling—one that made him feel as if his mind was completely transparent before the man, incapable of hiding any secrets.

Even so, Ishikawa forced himself to meet Lin Xinyi's gaze again.

This was about his future. No matter how much of a hindrance this man was, he had to keep up the act:

"O-Of course!"

"Think about it—killing Uchida would only cause me trouble."

"Why would I intentionally kill him?"

"That's not necessarily true."

Lin Xinyi refuted him without hesitation:

"People can sometimes abandon reason and make the decision to kill."

"And as long as you were aware at the time that your actions would lead to death, it cannot be considered manslaughter."

"B-But…"

Ishikawa stiffened his neck, forcing himself to argue:

"I only killed Uchida by accident."

"Do you really think you can find evidence proving I did it on purpose?"

"Of course I can."

Lin Xinyi replied calmly and steadily:

"Because I can feel the pain the victim suffered."

As he spoke, he crouched down beside the corpse once again.

Everyone's gaze shifted back to Lin Xinyi.

Even Miyano Shiho, who had been indifferent to the case at first, found herself unconsciously drawn in by his analysis.

"Allow me to reconstruct the victim's final moments."

"First, we see that both of the victim's wrists bear clear restraint marks."

"This suggests that, at least initially, Ishikawa may not have intended to kill. He likely just wanted to 'teach Uchida a lesson.'"

"So, after luring Uchida into this deserted alley, at the very beginning of the bullying, the culprit's accomplice restrained Uchida's wrists tightly, preventing him from moving."

"If my guess is correct, Uchida was subjected to prolonged bullying while being held down."

"And bullies, in order to avoid leaving obvious injuries that might expose them, typically avoid striking visible areas of the victim's body."

"They target places covered by clothing—like the chest, abdomen, and back. That means if we cut open the victim's shirt…"

Lin Xinyi paused and reached into the toolbox handed over by Officer Komatsu, taking out a pair of scissors.

Then, with practiced ease, he snipped through the victim's clothing, exposing Uchida's chest and abdomen.

A gasp rippled through the crowd.

Uchida's torso was covered in bruises—too many to count.

His body was riddled with abrasions, intradermal hemorrhages, and deep bruising. From his neck down, there was hardly an inch of unmarked skin.

Even without forensic expertise, anyone could see what kind of torment this poor young man had endured before his death.

The way everyone looked at Ishikawa was now filled with disgust and contempt.

Mouri Ran, always empathetic, clenched her fists tightly, her eyes filled with sorrow.

The remorseful and pitiful act Ishikawa had been putting on crumbled instantly.

He gave up pretending altogether, gritting his teeth and shouting at Lin Xinyi:

"S-So what?!"

"I already admitted to bullying Uchida, didn't I?"

"You said it yourself—he died of asphyxiation, not from being beaten to death!"

"Save your arguments."

"I'm just stating the facts."

Lin Xinyi ignored Ishikawa's outburst and continued in his steady tone:

"The victim's chest and abdomen sustained repeated, forceful, and prolonged blows."

"Injuries of this severity would likely cause internal bleeding in the thoracic cavity and organ damage, significantly impairing respiratory function—one of the key factors leading to asphyxiation."

"During this period, as a victim of bullying, Uchida likely begged his attacker for mercy."

"But the culprit didn't stop."

"In fact, enraged by Uchida's resistance and fueled by their own emotions, they escalated their brutality."

"They stopped punching him and instead, took it a step further—gripping his throat with one hand."

Ishikawa's face had gone pale by now.

Only now did he fully understand what Aoki had meant when he said, 'That man saw everything.'

Lin Xinyi's words were frighteningly accurate.

Back then, he had indeed been 'teaching Uchida a lesson'—though, of course, this time he had gone a little harder than usual to force Uchida into signing the waiver of liability.

But Uchida wasn't cooperating.

He insisted that he had already forgiven Ishikawa and had even submitted the waiver to the principal.

Ishikawa had scoffed at such a blatant lie.

As if!

I haven't even beaten you yet, and you're saying you've already forgiven me?

It was obviously just a stalling tactic. If he let Uchida go now, he'd run straight to the police again.

Besides, so what if he had really signed the waiver?

The previous report to the police still needed to be dealt with!

If he didn't make an example out of Uchida, how would he maintain control over the school?

Only by beating Uchida into submission could he ensure that the boy never dared to resist again.

So, just as planned, Ishikawa gave Uchida a lesson he would never forget.

But after the violent beating, Ishikawa noticed something—

Despite barely being able to speak, Uchida was desperately reaching for his pocket.

Ishikawa stopped and grabbed Uchida's hand.

There, in his grip—

Was a phone.

Uchida had been trying to call for help.

Realizing this, Ishikawa's rage boiled over.

He thought to himself—The lesson wasn't deep enough. The only way to fix this habit of his—always running to the police—was to make it hurt more.

So he clamped his hand around Uchida's throat.

That way, the boy would finally understand the fear of death.

Lin Xinyi's voice cut into his thoughts:

"This is the moment when the culprit gripped the victim's neck."

"The pressure, combined with his previous injuries, immediately made breathing difficult."

"As all asphyxiating victims do, Uchida began to struggle instinctively."

"In his struggle, his hand grabbed at Ishikawa's arm, leaving deep scratch marks."

"And that—was when everything spiraled out of control."

Lin Xinyi turned his gaze to Ishikawa:

"Bullies always see themselves as superior."

"They cannot tolerate defiance from those they consider weak, much less accept being harmed by them."

"So the culprit let go of Uchida's throat and chose an even more ruthless method of torment."

"Hmm?"

Beside him, Kudo Shinichi caught on.

"You're saying… the victim didn't die from being strangled?"

"Correct."

Lin Xinyi nodded.

"The strangulation marks on his neck are faint, meaning the grip and duration were limited."

"But more importantly—"

"Look at the victim's right forearm."

He lifted Uchida's arm to reveal the injuries.

"From elbow to wrist, the entire outer side of the ulna is covered in large, continuous bruising."

"Injuries of this shape are rare."

"Any guesses on how they formed?"

The crowd hesitated, but Mouri Ran was the first to react.

"The outer ulna… that's used for blocking in fights."

"But those bruises aren't from blocking—they look like they came from being pressed against a hard surface."

"So my guess is…"

"Uchida was pushed to the ground."

"He braced himself with his forearm, trying to get up. That's why the bruises formed."

"But getting up shouldn't require that much force, let alone cause injury."

"So… someone must have been holding him down."

"Exactly."

Lin Xinyi's voice turned sharp as he looked at Ishikawa:

"You didn't just push him down."

"You stepped on his neck."

He turned the body over, lifted Uchida's hair, and—

Gasps erupted from the crowd.

A shoe print.

Branded into the flesh of the victim's neck.

"You didn't just kill him."

"You murdered him—intentionally."

**

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